Looking at the included chart (below), I don't think the growth in "unknown" is the primary factor of Window's decline in market share. The chart does show, over the last two data points, that Mac OS and Linux have increased at the same time that Windows has decreased.

This is all but one data point anyway, so it's not fair to draw a long-term conclusion based on that regardless.

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Those "last two data points" are two months. For OS X, there's some upward movement the last two months (about 3%, which isn't a lot given it spiked late last year from 8.3% to 14.07% to 8.2% in a span of three points), while Linux is practically flatlined with a very light upward incline just the last month.

To the extent StatCounter is useful to begin with, the Linux point is functionally meaningless while the OS X increase of a few percentage points may or may not be significant; trying to divine a trend from twitches in those two points is reading noise. Look at the "unknown" line, meanwhile, and see how it begins mirroring Windows' decline around mid–late 2025. It rose from 11.2% in September 2025 to 21.5% in June 2026. That represents actual, meaningful, lasting change.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 days ago

How many Linux users use anti-fingerprinting extensions that prevent sites from seeing their OS? Wouldn't that place them in the "unknown" category?

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, that's pretty much what I said in the line of text under the graph.

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world -5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

You completely debunk the idea that "I don't think the growth in "unknown" is the primary factor of Window's decline in market share." in the same comment you said it? Because what you said makes absolutely no sense in the face of the actual numbers.

I expound on the two points because you can't just rest your argument on them and then softly disclaim that it's terrible methodology.

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Bruh people on Lemmy say the most mind-numbing things

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world -3 points 3 days ago

Thank you for demonstrating.

[–] dreamkeeper@literature.cafe 3 points 2 days ago

I'm not seeing much of an increase there for Mac or Linux. I'm not sure how you drew those conclusions from this graph.